Campbell’s Says Executive Caught on Tape During Rant Is ‘No Longer with the Company’

Campbell’s announced that former executive Martin Bally no longer works at the company following allegations that he made racist remarks and comments about the company’s customers and products.

The company said in a Wednesday, Nov. 26 statement, that Bally, the former Vice President and chief information security officer, no longer holds his position following the reports of the alleged comments.

Bally’s alleged claims were publicized after former employee Robert Garza claimed in a Nov. 20 lawsuit that he was wrongfully terminated by Campbell’s after he reported Bally’s alleged tirade to the company.

The lawsuit included a recording of the November 2024 conversation between Garza and Bally. Garza recorded the expletive-laden rant and claimed that Bally made racist comments and allegedly admitted to using drugs at work. (It is legal in Michigan for one person who is party to a conversation to record another person without their consent, per Detroit Free Press, citing attorney Symantha Heath.)

In Campbell’s statement on Wednesday, the corporation confirmed that it learned of the lawsuit and the audio recording on Nov. 20. “Neither Mr. Garza nor his lawyer ever notified us of the existence of an audio recording.”

The statement continued, adding that after “review,” they “believe the voice on the recording is in fact Martin Bally.”

“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused. This behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances,” the statement read, before concluding that as of Tuesday, Nov. 25, Bally “is no longer employed by the company.”

Bally’s various comments included remarks about the food, saying that the company makes “highly processed food” for “poor people,” according to WDIV.

“We have s— for f—— poor people. Who buys our s—? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f—‘s in it,” Bally allegedly said, per the local news outlet. “Bioengineered meat — I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer.”

In response, Campbell’s said Bally’s alleged comments about the food “are not only inaccurate—they are patently absurd. ” The company said the chicken meat ‘comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards,’ adding that all the soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat.

Campbell’s thanked its customers, saying, “We’re honored by the trust they put in us. We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use to provide consumers with good food at a good value.”

Bally and Garza met in November 2024 to discuss Garza’s salary; however, during the sit-down, Bally allegedly made the aforementioned comments as well as derogatory comments about Indian employees.

“F—ing Indians don’t know a f—— thing,” he said, according to WDIV. “Like they couldn’t think for their f—— selves,” Bally allegedly said, also calling them “idiots.”

He also allegedly admitted to Garza that he went to work high on marijuana edibles.

After the conversation, Garza reported Bally’s comments to his direct supervisor, J.D. Aupperle, in January 2025, Garza said in the suit. He claimed he was fired weeks later, on Jan. 30, 2025.

When PEOPLE reached out to Garza’s attorney, Zachary Runyan, on Monday, Nov. 24, he said the “situation has been very hard” on his client. “He thought Campbell’s would be thankful that he reported Martin’s behavior, but instead, he was abruptly fired. We look forward to obtaining justice for Robert.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Garza’s suit alleges he suffered stress, humiliation, embarrassment and mental anguish due to his supervisor J.D. Aupperle and Bally, CBS News reported. Garza is seeking compensation for emotional, reputational and economic harm, as well as attorneys’ fees, according to the outlet.